For a dozen years or more, my Aunt Nellie’s rum fruitcake recipe sat in my recipe box, unmade. In fact, I’d never made it, until a couple of years ago. Now, it’s tradition. But as a teen (some forty years ago), I’d watched my great aunt Nellie make it in her home. The process amazed me. To this day, I appreciate the old-fashioned cooking techniques that make this fruitcake recipe a keeper.
Here’s the rum fruitcake recipe including my personal notes for clarity. And to credit the original recipe owner, Aunt Nellie received this rum fruitcake recipe from a lady named Margaret (no last name given)–someone I doubt I ever knew. My family has always called it Aunt Nellie’s rum fruitcake recipe.
Aunt Nellie’s Rum Fruitcake
4 large eggs
½ lb. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. self-rising flour
½ lb. green pineapple
½ lb. yellow pineapple
1 lb. red cherries
¼ lb. raisins
3 pints chopped nuts
2 t. vanilla
2 t. almond
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. ground cloves
½ t. nutmeg
Cheesecloth
Aluminum Foil
4 oz. rum (½ cup) for each fruitcake
You can use the large (2 lb.) container of mixed candied fruits in place of smaller separate candied fruit containers. You can also adjust the nut amount to cut down on expense. I usually cut nut amount down to 2 pints, and I use walnuts. This recipe makes 2 fruit cakes the size of flat bread loaves.
Mix all ingredients in a very large mixing bowl–with exception of rum. Pour into very large (greased) cast iron skillet. Bake in 325 degree oven for 15 minutes, then stir with a (strong) long spoon. Bake another 15 minutes and stir. Bake another 15 minutes and stir for a total of 45 minutes cooking time in the skillet.
After the third stir, you’re ready to bake the hot mixture in brown paper-lined bread pans. I use glass pans that I’ve lined with brown paper shopping bags. I cut the paper considerably larger than the bread pan. Then, I press the paper down into the glass pan and cut away excess paper, leaving about an inch sticking out beyond the top of the pan.
Next, use a few paper napkins or paper towel dipped in cooking oil and lightly dab the paper to grease it. It’s ready to receive the fruitcake mixture. Scoop hot fruitcake into bread pans and press mixture down firmly with potato masher. Be sure your corners are firm.
Bake an additional 15 minutes at 325 degrees to make a total baking time of 1 hour.
Remove fruitcakes from the oven and cool on racks for about an hour in the pans. Carefully remove fruit cake from pans using the brown paper edges to lift it out. Remove brown paper from fruitcake and place the fruit cake onto prepared aluminum foil sheet.
For your foil sheets, you’ll want enough foil to totally cover and seal-in your fruit cakes. I make my foil sheets about a yard in length, and I use sturdy foil. You’ll need 2 lengths, one for each fruitcake.
Next, cut cheesecloth into a minimum of yard-long lengths. I like mine about 2 yards in length for each fruitcake. Now, soak each of the 2 cheesecloth pieces in a container with the rum. I use 2 containers, because I prefer to keep my cheesecloth pieces separate. It’s easier to work with it, once saturated.
Now you’re ready to lay the rum-soaked cheesecloth onto the tin foil. Begin to spread it out. You want to put a fruitcake onto the cheesecloth and begin to wrap it around the baked fruitcake, so all sides are covered. Be gentle. This takes some creativity.
Next, fold the foil around the cheesecloth-covered fruitcake so the rum won’t leak out. I like to keep the top of the foil looking pretty, so I can tie a ribbon around the fruitcake for gift-giving.
Finally, put the rum fruitcakes into your refrigerator for 4-5 days to develop intense flavor. Give one as a gift and enjoy the other.
